Al Nassr's Joao Felix scored twice in the 5-0 win over Al Khaleej. Reuters
Al Nassr's Joao Felix scored twice in the 5-0 win over Al Khaleej. Reuters
Al Nassr's Joao Felix scored twice in the 5-0 win over Al Khaleej. Reuters
Al Nassr's Joao Felix scored twice in the 5-0 win over Al Khaleej. Reuters

Joao Felix steps up as Al Nassr thrash Al Khaleej without Cristiano Ronaldo


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Al Nassr remain in the driving seat at the top of the Saudi Pro League following their 5-0 rout of Al Khaleej on Saturday night.

With captain and star striker Cristiano Ronaldo again absent with a hamstring injury, it was left to his fellow Portuguese Joao Felix to inspire an emphatic victory.

Abdullah Al Hamddan opened the scoring in the 30th minute, firing a low shot past keeper Anthony Morris as the league leaders took control.

Aiman Yahya struck a second beyond Morris to extend Al Nassr's lead early in the second half before Felix took over.

The forward tucked away Al Hamddan's cross from close range to make it 3-0 in the 73rd minute before adding a fourth six minutes later after good work by Angelo Gabriel. Joao Felix then provided an assist of his own as he teed up Angelo to complete the scoring.

Al Hilal kept up the pace, however, as they beat Al Fateh 1-0. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic's 48th-minute goal proved decisive as Hilal made it three league wins on the spin.

Nassr sit three points clear of Hilal with Al Ahli two points further back in third, and Al Qadsiah seven points adrift in fourth.

Nacho hails 'incredible' Al Qadsiah

On Friday night, Al Qadsiah ensured it remained a four-way title race in the kingdom with a dramatic 3-2 win over third-placed Al Ahli.

Qadsiah were 2-1 down as the match ticked into injury time, but Turki Al Ammar half-volleyed an equaliser in the 92nd minute before Ibrahim Mahnashi won it to spark wild celebrations from the hosts.

It may have taken 98 minutes, but the post-match scenes suggested Brendan Rodgers’ side knew exactly what the result meant.

“It was a beautiful match,” said Nacho, the former Real Madrid stalwart and Qadsiah's defensive rock. “The first half was theirs, the second half was ours, but it was an incredible comeback.

“I do everything I can for my club, now that I'm in Al Qadsiah. I'm very happy to be here and, well, living great nights like this.”

Updated: March 15, 2026, 8:04 AM